


East or West, Home is Best

by jargonelle



Category: Jericho (US 2006)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-20
Updated: 2008-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 03:37:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1629449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jargonelle/pseuds/jargonelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-series: it takes Jake a while to get home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	East or West, Home is Best

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Tassos

"The ASA is nothing but a front for the terrorists. They are responsible for Houston, and for Dallas, and for the twenty-one other cities whose names will never be forgotten. They are responsible for everyone who died of sickness, for everyone who had too little food, or shelter, or warmth, for everyone who did not find their way home. They are responsible... and we will no longer stand by and let them terrorize our fellow Americans. This is worth fighting for. We are worth fighting for."

_Governor Todd, San Antonio, Texas, USA._

~~

The first day of the war, Governor Todd flew the real American flag alongside that of Texas, fifty familiar stars and thirteen familiar stripes, and Jake's eyes burned. He thought of the fake flag that his mother, Eric, Emily and Stanley were forced to live under, that his father, April and Bonnie were buried under, and ached to be back in Kansas. _Couple of years ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead thinking that. Turns out there's no place like home after all._

He watched the Governor's public address on a portable television, holed up in a safe house two hours drive northwest of San Antonio. There were two men in the house with him, another four covertly watching the building, and Jake thought the precautions were completely unnecessary. He had been isolated, kept away from Hawkins, who had been treated for his injuries and then whisked aboard an aid plane heading, indirectly, for Columbus. Chavez planned to smuggle himself to Louisiana, claiming that it would be nice if Texas could have at least one border than it could leave undefended. Hawkins was insurance for if the bomb was lost. Jake was insurance for if Hawkins was.

He heard on the radio about pockets of resistance springing up - in California and Arizona, Montana and North Dakota - in places with better access to international aid, in places too far from the battle lines for one hundred percent obedience to be worth enforcing. A woman, her voice horrified, talked about North Korea and Iran, appealed for the rest of the world to do more to help the remaining people there since America was still in no shape to do anything. The UN was scrambling to extend the demilitarized zone around Texas, an extra eighteen thousand troops expected to arrive from Europe within thirty-six hours. The Hudson River virus had not crossed the border yet but the vaccination program was in full swing.

There was so much information available. Jake tried to trust some of it, tried to evaluate the news he heard and separate the truth from the lies, and not simply dismiss everything out of hand. He had given his statement to the Governor, and then to his Generals, and then had it prodded and queried and copied for the record. He had his words filmed, and then stripped down to a sound bite for the public. It was mostly accurate.

He had always dreamed that the most important words in his life would be bigger than saying 'I do' in the local church, in front of a crowd of people he had known all his life. This was not what he had expected.

~~

There were reports of skirmishes in Kansas. Of civilian fatalities.

They must have been big to hit the news like that.

Jake smashed his fist down on the table, startling his watchdog, and wondered how best to use his celebrity status to get himself sent back into the war zone, back to Jericho.

~~

It took a few months.

~~

The first state to flip was Louisiana.

Jennings and Rall tried to strip it bare before they had abandoned it, but were mostly unsuccessful. 

Encouraged by the increasingly rebellious population, the harsh conditions imposed by the ASA and the example of other commands facing similar circumstances, the Louisiana Guard publicly repeated their oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. Many soldiers insisted that they had never abandoned it in the first place and there were calls for the officers in charge to be held accountable; these were, officially, ignored. Two delegates from Louisiana were invited to Columbus, a hundred supply trucks were sent over the border, and the extent of the demilitarized zone became an ugly, blurry mess.

~~

November fifth, Hawkins went missing.

There were deliberate signs of a struggle in his hotel room and a clumsy trail left for Jake to follow that led him straight into the lair of a man called John Smith.

Jake and Hawkins were not convinced by Smith's propaganda and refused to help him coordinate an attack on Denver. After four days, Hawkins managed to free himself, incapacitate Smith, rescue Jake and steal a small arsenal. It had not been quick enough.

While they were otherwise occupied, a bomb hit Cheyenne. Not a nuclear bomb, not their bomb, thank God - it was in the hands of the UN now - but three thousand people died all the same. Tomarchio, unfortunately, was touring Utah.

~~

The national memorial for the October Attacks was in Columbus.

An American flag was depicted in the center of a long marble wall, the smaller flags of the other hundred and forty countries that had lost life surrounded it.

Jake was asked to lay a wreath there the Friday after Christmas. The flowers were red, white, and blue, and Jake felt sick as he knelt and displayed them. He wondered if anything was growing at all in Jericho, if there was even anyone left to care. He remembered that while Emily appreciated flowers, she always had preferred it when he showed up with wine. He wondered if he should mourn her that way.

He and Hawkins shared a bottle of whiskey that night. They swore they would only wait two more days, and then they would head for Kansas.

~~

All hell broke loose.

Supplies were not getting through to the AS population. Food drops were the easiest way to get food directly to the people, but the ASA was threatening to shoot down any planes invading its air space and maintained that Jennings and Rall was the only sanctioned distributor. The US government was busy broadcasting its moral superiority, hoping to retake the continent without having to fight for it. 

The borders were again in jeopardy. The situation was desperate enough that people were risking migrating in winter: north to Canada, south to Mexico and Texas, east to the USA. Overcrowded boats were leaving the coastlines, docking wherever they could. 

Gas, though rationed, was much more readily available in the USA, especially with the combined strength of Louisiana and Texas on its side. Hawkins and Jake took an old Ford, nowhere near as good as his Roadrunner, but good enough, and burned through Indiana. The radio was busted, but Hawkins had acquired another laptop, and he regularly checked the news. Nothing great, but maybe the troubles in Arkansas would help keep everyone distracted.

"Should never have left Texas," Jake groaned, as the next military checkpoint came into view.

Hawkins folded his laptop and strapped it underneath his seat. "Why'd you come out this way anyway, Jake?" he asked. "Not that I don't appreciate the company, but it's a hell of a trip."

"Couldn't go home and tell Darcy I'd lost you." Nothing else was worth saying. 

They drove into the sunset.

~~

Hawkins' ID got them into Illinois and whatever database he was hacking into let them know which roads to avoid and which towns and camps to stay clear of; Jake soon discovered it was pretty much all of them. They crossed the Mississippi in the early hours of the morning, loaded into the back of a truck driven by Belgian peacekeepers. It was cold, but at least they moved quickly.

When he hit the ground again he was tired, but alert. They were in St Louis. Hawkins spoke to several people while Jake inventoried the supplies they had been given and checked out their next car. Again it was nothing flashy, but it was in good repair and would hopefully not attract attention to themselves. Hawkins surprised Jake by demanding the keys and insisting on driving himself. Although he still had his laptop, Hawkins did not need it anymore. He knew the roads.

"You were never a cop here," Jake said. He had his pistol ready, just in case. Being back in the ASA was making him nervous.

"Nope," Hawkins agreed, "but I could have been." His hands were steady on the wheel. "Relax, Jake. We're not stopping until we're home. Try to sleep, I'll wake you if there's any trouble."

Kansas was untangling itself from J&R's web, that much had made the news, and Hawkins had images proving that Jericho was still standing, if nothing else.

Jake got twenty minutes sleep and then dug out a flask of coffee.

~~

There were checkpoints, naturally, but since they were avoiding the population centers, those they came across were lightly guarded. They traded food and cigarettes for smooth passage, not wanting the possible repercussions of any violent behaviour to come back to haunt them.

They were fifty miles from Jericho, cruising along the roads that were Jake's teenage second home. The world had changed, but the straights and curves were still the same.

"What do you think is going to happen?" he asked. They had not spoken about what they were planning to do, but Jake believed that Hawkins had at least several schemes in mind, probably more.

"Oklahoma's turning, and when they go, we shouldn't be far behind. We'll be the USA again, we just won't be so united. Things will be disorganized. The Federal Government won't have much say. The world's not going to be expecting us to solve their problems, that's for sure."

Jake remembered the girl in Afghanistan. He prayed for her. Before the attacks, he had not prayed for anyone else in years. "Maybe that's for the best."

~~

Four of Beck's men recognized them as 'Sheriff Green and Mr Hawkins', despite their longer hair and Jake's rather wild beard, and let them through to the area under Beck's jurisdiction without delay. Jake hoped that Beck had at least been charitable during his absence, and took it as a good sign that he and Hawkins had not been arrested or shot on sight.

He drove slightly out of his way and headed first to the Richmond Farm, where the winter fields were filled with deathly corn stalks, but where they were welcomed with a burst of life. Stanley cast aside his shotgun upon seeing Jake and wrapped him in a tight hug. He looked worn, but no longer destroyed by grief and revenge, and he was solid under Jake's embrace.

"Ah, Jake, man we've missed you."

"Don't worry, he missed you too, Mr Hawkins," Mimi said, after Jake had stepped away. She was wearing one of Bonnie's dresses under one of Stanley's shirts, and had a large gold ring on her finger.

"How is everyone?" 

Stanley and Mimi glanced at each other. "We should get you two drinks or something."

"Stanley, please..."

"Okay." He linked hands with Mimi and took a long breath. "Dale's dead. Bill's dead. Gray Anderson was supposed to be back two weeks ago but no one's heard from him. Heather's in New Bern again, and Eric took a nasty whack to the head but he's fine now. I think everyone else is all right. Your family," he nodded at Hawkins, "are living with the Taylors still. Allison's been helping Jimmy at the police station. It's been hard... on him. You should be proud of her."

Jake realized with a horrible flush of shame that he was relieved. He was relieved that this was the worst news Stanley had to tell him. Dale and Bill were dead. 

Hawkins did not bother to hide his relief. He sat down and bowed his head, but his brief smile was blinding. 

"We should get that drink," Mimi said, and before Jake completely registered what she had said, she was offering him a shot glass. "We've been kinda keeping these on standby recently."

They toasted Bill and Dale, they toasted Jake and Hawkins' safe return, they toasted to family. Jake, Stanley and Mimi toasted Bonnie's name, and Hawkins copied the sign a couple of seconds later.

"I know we're a little early," Jake said, "but to the New Year."

~~

Stanley and Mimi were eager to drive into town with them, but agreed in the end to give them a thirty-minute head start.

Jake and Hawkins completed the last part of their journey in silence and it was only when they were parked outside the Taylors' house that Jake asked, "So how does it feel?"

Hawkins thought for a moment, and then raised his eyebrows. "What, 'making history'?"

Jake grinned. "Been there, done that. This is where we make our futures."

"It feels pretty damn good." Hawkins smiled too. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jake." He got out of the car and hurried to the door. Allison answered it. She looked the happiest Jake had ever seen her when Hawkins swept her up in his arms.

Jake watched Sam, who looked a little taller now, and Darcy, join the reunion on the doorstep before restarting the engine.

He turned on the lights, turned up the radio, opened the window, and then found his way home.

~~

THE END 

 


End file.
